What is the most cost effective method to extract oil from algae to make biodiesel?

Question

What is the most cost effective method to extract oil from algae to make biodiesel?

Answer 1

There is no cost-effective method at all.

Answer 2

There are three main ways of getting oil from algae.

1. Expeller/Press

2. Hexane solvent oil extraction

3. Supercritical Fluid extraction

From what I have read the Pressing is the cheapest and the supercritical fluid extraction gets the most oil but is expensive.  There are also a few other methods that are being researched.  There will probably be a combination of techniques that will be used once it becomes commercial.

A good site with info on the extraction methods is.

http://www.oilgae.com/algae/oil/extract/...

Answer 3

There is none.....a cost is relative....

need to create something? Measure it and weigh in all ramifications.

Answer 4

No one has developed an effective method for this on large scale.

For scientific analysis, methanol/chloroform works well. But this would work well scaled up.

there are many companies working on this issue. It won't be long (2 years or so) before someone has a good idea.

Unfortunately, all the research is being done by pvt labs, so no one knows what the real progress is. You hear a lot of claims, but they are hard to believe.

Too bad the US gov't doesn't fund this research anymore. Kinda proves they really aren't interested in getting of foreign oil...and dare I say..Homeland Security...